Avian Flu Diary: The Great Central U.S. Shakeout: 2013

# 6903

Five days from now, on Thursday February 7th, at 10:15am, millions of people across the central United States will take part in their third annual Great Central U.S. Shakeout earthquake drill.

This exercise will be conducted in the style of The Great California Shakeout which has been been running successfully for a number of years, and has spawned more than a dozen other regional shakeout exercises around the world.

Registration is simple, participation is easy, and the drill only takes a few minutes. You can join in with more than 2.4 million others in the central U.S. at the link below.

Central U.S. ShakeOut Registration or Renewal

By registering for the ShakeOut, you or your organization will:

Be counted in the largest-ever earthquake drill in Central U.S.!

Be listed with other participants in your area (Optional)

Be an example that motivates others to participate & prepare

Be updated with ShakeOut news and preparedness tips

Have peace of mind that you, your family, your co-workers and millions of others will be better prepared to survive and recover quickly from our next big earthquake!

In addition to registration, the Shakeout.org site provides Drill Manuals, Multimedia, Flyers, and many other resources to help get you, your family, or business earthquake prepared.

The USGS map below shows that most of the United State’s population lives in a seismically active region. While California has the reputation for being earthquake prone, the Midwest and the Eastern Seaboard are not immune.

While large earthquakes are rare in center of the country, they do happen. The map below comes from the USGS document Earthquake Hazard in the New Madrid Seismic Zone Remains a Concern.

There are historical accounts of major earthquakes
in the New Madrid region during 1811–12. The geologic record of pre-1811 earthquakes also reveals that the New Madrid seismic zone has repeatedly produced sequences of major earthquakes, including several of magnitude 7 to 8, over the past 4,500 years. These prehistoric earthquakes caused severe and widespread ground failures in the New Madrid region, much like those caused by the 1811–12 earthquake sequence. – USGS.

Given the risks, the United States government devoted their National Level Exercise (NLE 2011) two years ago to a simulated catastrophic earthquake in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).

We live on a violent planet, one that is prone to storms, fires, floods, drought, volcanoes, earthquakes and myriad other natural disasters.

Emergencies happen every day. Disasters, admittedly, less often.

But in either event, preparedness is key.

At a bare minimum, every household should have a disaster plan, a good first aid kit (and the knowledge to use it), an emergency battery operated NWS weather radio, and emergency supplies to last a minimum of 72 hours during a disaster.

To become better prepared as an individual, family, business owner, or community, I would invite you to visit the following preparedness sites.